From This Moment On
by Idle Stripe
Summary: King Mickey has returned to rule, and has decided to throw a party to celebrate this. Tora has no choice but to get frocked up, but somehow, in the events that unravel, she thinks she might get frocked up more often. LeonxOC


_**-From This Moment On – A Squall Leonhart (Leon) Fanfic-**_

_**-Based off the 'Kingdom Hearts' game-**_

"Ryu-"

"You look good. Now shut up." I pouted at my twin brother's words and finished brushing my orange and black hair. I put down my brush and looked at my reflection, a glittering face looking back at me. I brushed some fine powder over my right shoulder and nodded.

"I look like a primadonna." I declared. Ryu turned around from his own mirror and raised an eyebrow at me.

"Yes, yes you do. But you look good." he said, returning to fixing himself. I stood up and twirled around twice in the light blue ballroom gown I wore. It sat neatly just under my collarbone, and two sleeves were connected under the arm, each reaching a point at my third finger. The dress faded to an ice blue before becoming white, the skirt flowing and light. A sequined design sat on my left side, coiling around my hip and chest.

"I'll agree with you this once, but only because you're right." I said, picking up a pale blue rose and pinning the section of hair that normally fell over my right eye back. Ryu began making pained noises, and I sighed.

"Damn thing..." he muttered. I turned around and saw my twin brother – who, may I add, is only a few minutes older than me – wrestling with his tie. I smiled and shook my head, reaching out.

"Here. Watch and learn." I said, grabbing the tie and doing it up correctly. There was no hiding the flush that crossed the bridge of Ryu's nose, and I giggled. We gave each other a last minute check-over, to make sure we hadn't forgotten anything.

"Our rings!" I exclaimed. Ryu reached over and grabbed a red ring and a green ring, and handed the second one to me. I slipped it on my right ring finger, while Ryu slipped the red ring on his right ring finger.

"Your carriage awaits." a footman at the door announced. We nodded at each other, then walked out to our carriage – a pale green thing pulled by two white horses. Ryu helped me in first – only because I can't do anything in heels – then got in himself. With a flick of the reins, we were away, heading for Disney Castle.

"I'm glad King Mickey has returned." I said after a period of silence that only we would be comfortable in. Ryu nodded.

"I felt bad for Queen Minnie, though. Running an entire kingdom by yourself has to be difficult." he responded. I nodded, and looked out the carriage window. We had arrived in the castle garden, and I could see lights strung up everywhere, making the place look very inviting. The carriage rolled to a stop, and the door was opened.

"Presenting the Twins of Time and Touch, Ryu and Tora!" I heard Donald quack loudly. Ryu got out first, then helped me out. I straightened my skirt and began walking beside my twin brother.

"Nice hat, Donald." I said, smiling. The court magician grinned and returned to his duty of announcing the guests. We arrived at the top of the stairs, and I gulped.

"I feel so out of place." I muttered to Ryu.

"Me too." he whispered back, playing with his ring out of nerves.

"Tora! Ryu!" a squeaky voice called. King Mickey and Queen Minnie entered our line of vision then, both with smiles on their faces. Ryu bowed and I curtsied politely.

"It is an honour to be in your presence, Your Majesties." I said. Minnie giggled.

"Aw, gosh guys, you don't need to do that." King Mickey said.

"We feel obliged to." Ryu said. King Mickey laughed.

"Enjoy the party!" both the king and queen said, dashing away to greet more guests. Ryu and I looked at each other, shrugged, and moved further in.

"Now this is a party." my twin brother breathed, commenting on the layout of the large hall. Tables had been set up in a U-shape around the exterior walls, with refreshments and drinks laid out. The centre of the hall was reserved for a dance floor, with a few couples already twirling away. Chandeliers and other lights hung from the ceiling, glittering with candlelight. An orchestra played classical music from the front of the room.

"Tora! Ryu!" a familiar voice called. I grinned and spun around.

"Yuffie!" I squealed. The female ninja ran over and glomped Ryu first, then glomped me. I managed to keep my footing as she jumped. _If Yuffie's here, then he's got to be...at least, I hope so, _I thought. Yuffie let go and looked me up and down.

"You rock in blue, Tora." she said, admiring the dress I wore. I blushed under my makeup.

"It's an old colour, really." I replied.

"Don't care. It's hot." Ryu laughed at the look on my face – somewhere in between shock and embarrassment. I 'casually' elbowed my brother in the side, amid giggles from Yuffie. He glared at me, and I smiled innocently at him.

"That hurt." he hissed, rubbing the sore area.

"Did it?" I cooed mockingly, "Oh my gosh! Sora!" I pushed through the crowd to where I saw my spiky-headed brunette friend. He turned his bright blue eyes to me when he heard me coming and grinned.

"Hi Tora! Wow, you look good in a dress." he said, hugging me. I grinned.

"I don't look half as good as you or Riku." I said, motioning to the sleek black tuxedos that adorned my friends' bodies. Sora rubbed the back of his head, while Riku smirked.

"You still look good, Tora." he said.

"Oh, shut up." I pouted. Sora's eyes suddenly widened in remembrance.

"Before I forget! Tora, meet Roxas, my Nobody. Roxas, this is Tora, the Twin of Touch." he said, looking at a blonde version of himself. I smiled and held out my hand.

"Just call me Tora." I said. Roxas nodded and shook my hand.

"Nice to meet you. You look good." he said. I nodded. Conversation spiked from there, with Kairi and her Nobody Namine joining in halfway along. The orchestra changed songs several times during our talk, which was interrupted by Ryu tapping me on my shoulder.

"Dance with your twin?" he asked, holding out his hand.

"I call next dance!" Sora said, waving his hand around. I laughed.

"If it'll make you feel better." I said, taking Ryu's hand and letting him lead me to the dance floor. We began a waltz, and all the while, something was nagging at the back of my mind. Wait...that could've been the seafood I ate before coming here. Either way, it played havoc with my stomach. As the song ended, Sora switched places with Ryu, who asked Namine for a dance. She giggled and nodded, and they disappeared into the crowd.

"I get the feeling those two are going to get along very well." I said to Sora. He nodded and we began dancing.

"Where'd you learn to dance like that?" I asked.

"You'd sleep better if I didn't tell you." he replied, blushing a little. I smiled and we continued to dance. The song ended, and all dancers applauded the orchestra. When the next song began, a hand tapped Sora on the shoulder.

"May I cut in?" the voice asked. We both turned around, and I gasped.

"L-Leon?!" I exclaimed. Sora stood his ground.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. I mentally facepalmed. It's not every day the Keyblade master comes up with something intelligent. Leon flicked some of his brown hair out of his eyes.

"I wish to dance with the Twin of Touch. That is, if it's okay with you, Tora." he replied, looking at me with his steel-grey eyes. My resolve flew out the window with that look, and I could feel my blood run faster through my veins. Hang on...I think I've just lost all inhibition. My face softened, and I nodded.

"Sora, go find Kairi. I'll be fine." I said, taking the hand extended to me. Leon led me through the dancers toward the door that led to the gardens.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Outside." he stated. The night air was warm as we stepped into the garden. I walked over to the closest fountain and sat on its edge, dipping my fingers in the cool water. A shadow appeared over me, and I looked up at Leon.

"Dance with me?" he asked. My gosh, this man was going to be the death of me. Wait...he already was. I smiled warmly and took his hand.

"Yes." I said softly. I stood up and placed my hand on the Gunblade wielder's shoulder, his free hand placing itself on my waist. We twirled to the faint music that was still coming from the hall. I had a sudden realisation.

"You realise that Sora would've told Ryu that you've 'abducted' me, right?" I said, raising an eyebrow. He nodded once, and I smiled, an idea forming in my head. I gently moved away from Leon and stood on the fountain's edge, gazing down at him.

"Tora, what are you-" he asked, but I held up my hand and cut him off, smiling.

"Let me sing for you, Leon. Like I used to back then. Do you remember?" I asked.

"Of course I remember. I was going to ask you to do the same thing." he replied. I nodded and closed my eyes, picking a tune that I knew would strike a chord.

"_From this moment life has begun_

_From this moment you are the one_

_Right beside you is where I belong_

_From this moment on_

_From this moment I have been blessed_

_I live only for your happiness_

_And for your love I'd give my last breath_

_From this moment on." _I opened my eyes and carefully walked around the edge of the fountain, my golden eyes locking onto the two steel-grey ones that had been following my movements since I opened my mouth. Leon helped me down from the fountain, and I walked underneath an arch of red roses. Some of their petals fell into my hair, but I ignored it for the better company in front of me.

"_I give my hand to you with all my heart_

_I can't wait to live my life with you, I can't wait to start_

_You and I will never be apart_

_My dreams came true because of you_

_From this moment as long as I live_

_I will love you, I promise you this_

_There is nothing I wouldn't give_

_From this moment on_

_Whoa..." _A light in the garden illuminated a second orchestra playing the music that accompanied my song. Leon grabbed my hand and pulled me into a slow waltz under the red rose arch in time to the music. As he twirled me around, I spun away and stood in front of the band.

"_You're the reason I believe in love_

_And you're the answer to my prayers from up above_

_All we need is just the two of us_

_My dreams came true because of you_

_From this moment as long as I live_

_I will love you, I promise you this_

_There is nothing I wouldn't give_

_From this moment_

_I will love you as long as I live_

_From this moment on_

_Mmm..." _I ended the song, and opened my eyes for a second time. Leon was staring at me, a mixture of something on his face that I couldn't describe. He smirked and opened his arms. I ran into his arms, tripping only once, and hugged him like he was my life support. I fisted his jacket in my hands and tried my best not to cry.

"Tora...I need to apologise for my actions against you." Leon said, "I realise now that I was the biggest jerk you knew back then. And I never wanted to injure you the way that I did." He turned away from my gaze as he finished his sentence. I cupped his cheeks and brought his eyes back to mine, fixing a smile on my lips. He held up something in front of my face, and my eyes welled up with tears.

"Actions speak louder than words." he muttered. I took the red rose out of his fingers and pressed my lips to his. He returned my kiss, holding me close.

"Your actions in the past don't matter to me now. All that matters is the present, and the future." I whispered as our lips slowly parted. Leon gave a breathless laugh and got down on one knee.

"This is going to be difficult for me, so just bear with me." he said, looking up at me, "After what happened to me in the past...well, I thought that was all that mattered...all that I needed to remember.

"When I first met you, I thought you were just another version of Yuffie – loud, brash and annoying." At that, I laughed, "But as time went on, I learnt that you were much more than that – you're intelligent, cunning, determined, and above all, beautiful." I blushed at the last word. The last time I had been called that, Ryu ended up with a bruised nose.

"Funny, because when I first met you, I thought you kept your Gunblade somewhere it shouldn't be kept." I giggled.

"Touché. But now, my question to you, Tora, is this: with the entirety of the orchestra behind us, and the king and queen inside the castle as my witness, I ask you to be the princess for this battered and weary knight and complete his world." Even though it was said in the traditional Leon – better known as Squall Leonhart – style (upside down and completely riddling), I gasped. The orchestra behind us stopped playing and waited with what appeared to be bated breath for my answer. I composed myself quickly and looked down at him.

"Stand up, sir knight." I said. Leon stood, and I threw my arms around his neck.

"Yes!" I whispered excitedly. The next thing I knew, my feet had lifted off the ground and I was spinning around in circles. The orchestra struck up a lively tune, and the ground was returned underneath me. Leon's lips found mine, and I fiddled with the long chestnut hair at the base of his neck.

"I'm looking forward to doing that more often." he said, smirking. I grinned and took his hand.

"I want to scare everybody. Can we?" I asked innocently.

"Of course." I giggled as I was scooped into Leon's arms and was carried back inside. Ryu ran over as he saw us re-enter the hall.

"What the h-e-double-toothpicks is this all about?" he asked in exasperation, "Sora said you'd gone with him and then-" I summoned my own version of time magic and skipped the entire rant.

"You don't need to panic, Ryu, Leon's made up for his actions." I replied, smiling. Ryu cast a suspicious look at Leon, then grinned.

"Welcome to the family." he said. I was put down, so I hugged my twin brother.

"I would've kicked your butt had you not have replied any other way." I whispered in his ear.

"I know." he replied. Smiling and taking my lover's hand, we rejoined the party.

**DISCLAIMER: The disclaimer applies to the characters and settings of 'Kingdom Hearts' – Disney and SquareEnix – the characters of Squall Leonhart and Yuffie Kisaragi – 'Final Fantasy VIII' and 'Final Fantasy VII', both of whom were created by Tetsuya Nomura – the song 'From This Moment On' – Shania Twain - and the characters Ryu and Tora, and the idea of them being the Twins of Time and Touch – me. **


End file.
